Tulipa gesneriana (have-tulipan) 1635 - 1664

Hans Simon Holtzbecker made this watercolour of Tulipa gesneriana, or cultivated tulip, in seventeenth-century Germany. At the time, the tulip was far more than just a pretty flower. The vibrant colours and striking patterns of tulips made them highly prized commodities, especially in the Netherlands, where speculation in tulip bulbs reached fever pitch in the 1630s. This craze, known as "Tulip mania," saw the price of rare bulbs soar to exorbitant levels, before crashing spectacularly in 1637, marking one of the first recorded speculative bubbles in economic history. Holtzbecker’s meticulous depiction speaks to the cultural status of the flower. Illustrated inventories like this one reflect the rise of scientific observation and documentation, alongside burgeoning commercial interests. To understand more, look into Dutch and German archival sources from the period; these can reveal the social and economic contexts that elevated the tulip to such an extraordinary symbol of wealth and status.